Queen of Hearts
by rellimmes
Summary: When a war breaks out between Harlem and Brooklyn, Spot goes to everyone for help. But Staten Island's too weak, Manhattan's staying out of it and the Bronx has enough problems without a war. The only other option is Queens- home to the beautiful and most dangerous leader of them all…
1. Chapter 1

**When a war breaks out between Harlem and Brooklyn, Spot goes to everyone for help. But Staten Island's too weak, Manhattan's staying out of it and the Bronx has enough problems without a war. The only other option is Queens- home to the beautiful and most dangerous leader of them all… **

_**Queen of Hearts**_

"Watt da youse mean, dey declared war?" Spot roared, making the bird who had given the information to him cringe. From around the corner several other newsies cautiously peered out, watching their leader warily. They were the brave souls; the rest of the Brooklynites were still in the living room, frozen with fear and anxiously listening to the King's ranting and raving in the hall. Spot had gotten angry before, sometimes even furious, but never, ever had anyone seen him get _this_ mad!

"Exactly d- dat, Spot," the bird named Hatter stuttered, barely able to look his King in the eyes. "Dey say dat since youse soaked their second, an' dat dis was da final straw." Spot cried out in frustration and hit the wall, causing half the room to shake. "All we did was teach da guy a lesson! Doesn't dey know ya don't go sellin' in my borough ever? Huh?" Hater shivered, not because he was cold but because Spot's rage was reaching new heights. "Isa- Isa guess not b-boss."

Spot was getting ready to start off gain at that, but before he could his own second Ink stepped out of his hiding place behind the corner and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Spot, it ain't ya fault, calm down already." "But it is!" Spot retorted, pushing Ink away and hitting at the wall again. "We shoulda just let im' off with a warning, we shoulda-"Ink slacked Spot across the face, effectively pulling the King out of his rave. "No, it ain't!" he yelled back. "Now get ya head outta da gutter Spot, getting mad about it ain't gonna change a thing."

The King of Brooklyn grudgingly nodded and turned back to Hatter, who flinched. "Get outta here Hatter, ya free ta go," he ordered the bird. The small 7 year old didn't need telling twice. He was gone I two seconds flat. Spot then turned back to Ink, who was waving the eavesdroppers off. "Send out da messengers again. We'll need everyone we got ta beat Harlem." Ink shook his head, frowning. "Already did, right aft' Hatter went back ta Harlem. Isa figured dey would declare war, youse know? Dey all came back sayin' similar stuff, so dat means dat either-"

"Ink gets ta da point!"

The second sighed and lit up a cigarette. "Dey all says dey ain't helpin' on dis one, Spot. Staten Island just finished a spat with Coney, dey can' take anymore fighting for a while. Cowboy says Manhattan's staying outta dis one, an' da Bronx told dem dey already has enough problems with da gangs ta worry about others." Spot groaned and ran his hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Da only other option's Queens den," he said resentfully. Ink's eyes got real wide and his jaw dropped. "Queens? Spot, ya ain't serious are ya? Dey hate us, everyone knows dat! We won't even get beyond da border before we get soaked!"

Spot nodded, understanding his second's concern. Grabbing his cane, he slid it into his belt loop and prepared to leave. "Dere da only other borough we got, Ink. Dere's a rumor running around dat Queens got a new leader aft' da strike. Isa can't confirm it, since Queens is practically closed off ta everyone but Manhattan an' Jack's silent on da matter. Maybe he'll be more willing ta listen ta us." Ink sighed but pulled his cap clean over his head, however reluctant he was to do it. "Well, youse might as well have _someone _ta back youse up. Ya want me ta leave Bowler in charge while we're gone?"

"Yeah sure, whatever. C'mon, if we wanna get on Queens's good side we wanna make sure ta get dere before dark. Dere a dangerous bunch, dem Queens's newsies. Dey'll soak anyone da comes into dere territory aft' sundown."

Spot stopped right at the border to Queens, debating on whether this was as good of an idea as he had first thought. No doubt the new leader was going to great lengths to make sure no one crossed into his territory, judging by several boys no older than 16 year old Spot himself hiding away in the shadows. But he had to do this. This was their last chance. Hoping that at least one of them would hear him out, Conlon took a deep breath and stepped over into Queens.

Almost immediately five Queens newsies leapt out of the alleyways and charged at Spot and Ink, who was about to faint from shock. But before they could touch anyone Spot put up his hands, effectively stopping them. "Wait!" he called out. "We ain't here ta fight! We wanna audience with ya leader." One of the newsies, a burly kind of guy with a burn mark running down his neck, ordered the others to stop immediately. Then he took a few steps forward, glaring at Spot. "Watt does da King 'o' Brooklyn want with Fury?" he leered. "Our two respective boroughs ain't on da best terms Conlon, if youse remember."

The King crossed his arm over his chest defiantly and tapped his cane on the ground impatiently. "Yeah, Isa do remember. But dat was when River was leader, if _youse _remember. We wanna meet da new one; we gotta offer ta propose." The Queens newsie raised an eyebrow suspiciously but called his comrades off, smirking. "Offer, ya say? Well, we can't say no ta dat, now can we fellas? Sure Conlon, we'll take ya ta Fury, but we want ya ta promise youse ain't gonna do nothing if we do." Before Spot could bargain Ink stepped forward, feeling braver than he felt and replied "Youse gotta deal."

The newsie nodded and beckoned them to follow. As they group walked back to the lodging house Spot elbowed his second in the ribs. "Ow!" Ink complained, rubbing his chest. "Watt was dat for?" Spot glared at him icily. "Ya let me do da taking, a 'right? We can't go making promise we can't keep!"

"We're keeping dis one though; we can't go making a ruckus on foreign soil, youse know dat!"

Spot growled but agreed and stepped into the lodging house premises. The place was more worn down than his own, but it was definitely homely. It was well lit and the atmosphere was slightly more relaxed, but all the warmness that it offered was gone the moment everyone saw who had arrived. The newsie guard led Spot and Ink past the thirty- something newsies in the living room (more than Manhattan but less than Brooklyn) all staring/sneering at them and into another hallway. The newsboy who had brought the two Brooklynites there stopped and leaned over to speak to a passing Queens kid, a little girl no older than 10.

"Hey Chip, youse know where Fury is?' he asked kindly, not at all like the stuck up jerk he had brought himself out to be when they'd first met him. The little girl stared up at him with startling green eyes and pointed down the hall, towards the farthest door on the left. "In da office." She then looked at Spot and made a disgusted face. "An' watts _dey _doin' here?" she spat. The newsboy just chuckled and patted her on the head gently. "Dere here ta see Fury, Chip. Nothing ta worry about yet." The newsgirl frowned and cast them one last look of the before disappearing into the living room. "_Yet." _

The newsie waved the security detail behind Ink and Spot off and pointed down at the room like Chip had done moment before. "Dere ya go," he told them harshly, bringing back up the tough-guy act. "Ya see da room? In dere." Spot shrugged and led the way down the dark hallway. "Thanks." He dragged Ink to the door and knocked. "It's open!" came an unnaturally high voice from inside." Spot, nervous and a bit startled by such a pitched kind of voice for a leader coming at him, took a deep breath and pushed the heavy oak-laden door open, expecting the worst. Instead he found a nice office-like place, shelves of books covering the walls and a decent looking desk in the center, complete with a leather chair, it's back facing Spot. Ink came in behind him and shut the door cautiously, one hand already on his slingshot. "Hello?" he called out, looking around.

Suddenly the chair swung around and faced Spot, who jumped back in surprise. Sitting in it wasn't the femalish boy the King had expected to see, but a beautiful young woman around 16 years smiling politely up at them. She was dressed in black leather pants and a white peasant style shirt, something Spot had never seen a newsie wearing before, especially a leader. On her waist dangled a slender silver dagger, shining in the midst of the otherwise dimly lit room. The girl had sleek black hair, which was thrown up in a ponytail and braided down, and timeless eyes, a sort of brownish black that reminded Spot of a bonfire, clam and warm at first then hot and ferocious the next. In short, she was nothing short of beautiful.

"Hello Mr. Conlon," Fury greeted them, a spark of ruthlessness glinting in her eye. "Welcome to Queens."

**Ok, how was it? I really want to know if this story is worth continuing, so review, review, review! I need at least five votes, but if you REALLY like it then you can vote several times. Thank you! **

_**Rellimmes **_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, ok, I started up again after only 3 reviews, but they were from two of my favorite reviewers (and an unknown guest- thank you, whoever you are )! That has to amount to SOMETHING, right? Anyhow, on with the show! **

**Chapter 2**

Fury got up and motioned for her 'guests' to take a seat. "Well you might as well sit down, you're already here," she sighed exasperatedly. Spot nodded and pushed Ink roughly into the first chair before sitting in one himself. He had to keep his leader rep up if he wanted his girl's help. While girl newsies were neither heard of nor seen in Brooklyn, Queens apparently had and thought very highly of them, and just by seeing this one in a leader's position Spot knew she was going to be very hard to reach.

He watched as Fury took a seat again herself, taking in every feature; the way she held herself up with dignity and pride, the tough atmosphere that practically thrived off of her, even the brisk manner in which she spoke, how everything about her was forward and straight to the point- all good leader traits.

Fury leaned forward from her chair and held out her hand. "Fury Ramon, Queen of Queens," she introduced herself. Spot took the hand and shook it firmly. "Spot Conlon, King 'o' Brooklyn," he replied cordially. For just a moment the King felt the hope of a truce arise within him, but it died when he saw the Queen sneer at him from behind the desk. She glanced up at her clock and then back at him before speaking.

"Alright Conlon, you've got exactly 5 minutes to tell me why you've so sudden come crawling over to your worst enemies for help before I kick you to the curb and send you both back to Brooklyn in a matchbox," Fury growled, fingering her knife. "I don't want a speech, just the facts."

Spot was taken aback by the girl's coldness towards the matter, but it didn't surprise him. Queens and Brooklyn had been enemies for as long as anyone could remember; it was only natural for her to be on-guard. The newsie cleared his throat and began. "Well, err, ya see, as youse all very well know Harlem declared war on us recently an' we've been asking all da others if dey got our backs if things starts ta get real ugly. All 'o' em' gotta excuse an' we can't fight Harlem ourselves, so we came ta youse."

The Queen regarded Spot suspiciously, fiery eyes narrowing. "And give me one reason why I should help you. As my second Spike informed you already, we don't exactly see eye to eye, our two territories." Spot clenched his jaw and groaned. He really, really didn't want to have to admit this, but if he even had a shot at getting his girl and her newsies on his side he had to. "Because youse da only people who can help us," Spot grudgingly admitted. "Isa 'o' all people know we ain't been da best 'o' neighbors, but if youse do dis for us we can fix dat. No more wars, adversaries, fights, nothing! An alliance, if youse will."

Fury looked down at her feet for a moment, pondering this. "And how do I know you won't turn scab on us right after we help you out of your little hole, huh?" she confronted, still reluctant. "I barely even know you Conlon, hardly been leader a few months and raised to hate your borough my whole life because you gave us reason to. Why should I trust you with my people's lives? Again, how do I know you won't betray me?"

Spot swore under his breath, but knew in his heart she was right. He'd never met this woman before today! She wasn't about to just hand over the newsies trusting her with their safety to some random Brooklynites with a rep. No one in their right mind would. Thinking fast, Spot took a deep breath and said truthfully "Because we won't."

With that Fury started to laugh. It wasn't a nice, pleasant laugh but one of harshness and brutality. "You really think that's a good enough answer, Mr. Conlon?" she challenged, eyes gleaming with malice. Spot shrugged. "Its da only thing we got." The Queen laughed again and regarded him judgmentally. The raven-haired beauty then got up and stood by the window, staring out into the darkening streets without fear. Spot was hesitant to say any more; she was thinking, and thinking wasn't to be disturbed when it was a matter of life and death. When she finally spoke again, her tone wasn't as mean as before. In fact, it was almost understanding.

"I apologize for my earlier rudeness, Mr. Conlon," Fury began slowly, still gazing outside. "As you can see trust is still an issue around here. I needed to know if I could give it to you." The 16 year old girl then turned around to face him, all signs of hostility gone. Even the raging fire that had been her eyes had died down to a minimum, but was still burning with wariness.

"But now I know I can. You see, unlike my predecessor River, I like to hear out other's arguments before deciding to slit their throats. Yours is a valid one, and I am inclined to thank you for being reasonably collected when you came before me. I can see you never intended to come here for help, giving our history. And you're right; we could become an alliance considering we have the same views of things." Hope arose again in Spot's heart. "So youse gonna help us?" he asked eagerly.

But Fury shook her head, even though regretful. Turning back to the window she replied "I heard numerous times of your meeting with Jack Kelly, one of our own allies, concerning their strike in the summer. I was second at the time if you'll recall. You said you needed proof that they had what it took to win." The Queens leader looked over her shoulder at Spot and frowned. "I need the same if you want my help. I don't doubt your loyalty and dedication Mr. Conlon, but I'm not fully convinced you have the strength to beat Harlem."

"But we gotta dedication an' loyalty, youse said it youseself!" Ink complained, momentarily forgetting Spot's direct orders to maintain silence. His leader glared at him, but Ink ignored Spot's blue-eyed gaze and continued telling Fury off. "If we got dat an' combined with youse borough numbers we're unstoppable!"

"Ink, sit down!" Spot ordered his second in command, raising his voice. Ink finally got the message and did as told, but not before swearing at Fury under his breath. Spot was ready to apologize for his friend's actions, but stopped short when he saw the girl across from him looking thoughtful. "You're right, Ink," she addressed the boy personally. "You do have it, but I need to see it."

Before she could say more a sharp rap came at the door. Fury pivoted around; hand already to the handle of her dagger, but then saw who it was coming in. It was the boy who had led Spot and Ink to her, whom Spot assumed to be Spike, her second. The burly youth nodded coldly at the Brooklynites before looking at the Queen. "Fury, we gotta problem."

Fury rolled her unique eyes again and glanced at Spot and Ink apologetically. "Excuse me, gentlemen." She then looked at Spike frustrated. "Look Spike, I'm in a meeting!" she growled at him. "If it's about Staten Island walking on the border again I told you it's perfectly fine-""It's da Bronx," Spike interrupted quietly, and discretely shrinking back to avoid the best of Fury's furious glare. "Dere harassing a couple 'o' da border patrols, even tried soakin' one. We got em' duking it out now ova by dat old oil refinery. Watt youse want us ta do?"

Spot watched Fury get even angrier and clench her fist, forgetting the two Brooklyn newsies standing behind her. "I told them that if they started it up again we'd give them a fight to remember! Ready the birds and make sure they have their brass knuckles, Spike. We'll give them a fight to remember!" As Spike bowed out and left to carry out Fury's orders the Queen turned back to Spot, fuming. "I'm afraid this is where I leave you two, then. You'll have safe passage as long as you're in Queens, but after you cross the border once no longer, got it?"

Spot nodded and got up himself. "Thank youse for ya time," he told Fury, giving her a polite smile. "We'll show ourselves out den." Their host returned it and waved them away, all the while never once breaking eye contact with him. Spot pushed himself past the leader, but before he could enter the hallway she caught his wrist and pulled him back. "I'll have you know, Mr. Conlon," she whispered quietly. "That if you do perhaps show me you can beat Harlem I'll consider joining you." Spot just nodded and left.

As the two made their way back to Brooklyn in silence Spot pondered Fury's words. It was comforting to know that she was behind them either way; minus the fact that she wanted proof they had what it took to win this war. She was intelligent enough to make a good ally, almost as friendly as Queens newsies came. And beautiful.

Maybe, just maybe, they had a future friendship in store.

$N$

Fury leaned up against the front doorway and watched as Spot left with his second. She liked him instantly, despite their boroughs past relations. He was pretty street smart, for a Brooklynite, not as hot headed as the rest either. Almost handsome…..

So absorbed in her thoughts as she was the Queen almost didn't hear Spike walk up behind her. "Did it work?" he asked gruffly, sneering at the disappearing figures. Fury shrugged. "Like a charm. They'll be far away by the time they realize the Bronx never set foot in Queens. To be honest I'm not so sure I wanted them to leave just yet though. This Spot Conlon doesn't seem as bad as they say he is."

"Youse ain't really considering siding with Brooklyn, are ya?" Spike confronted a bit rudely. "Youse 'o' all people know watt Brooklyn's like. Dat war three years ago with dem tore ya family apart! Youse have da most reason ta hate Conlon!"

"That war was when Flyer was King, not Spot," Fury corrected quietly, choosing to ignore her second's temper. "Things have changed. Boroughs have changed. I'm leader now, Spike. Queens has been far too ruthless and cruel for too long. You can be tough and friendly at the same time, no matter what River said. We all knew he was no good from the start, that's why you made me leader instead of him after a couple years. I have no reason not to trust Conlon, no matter what part he played in my parent's death-"

"Ya crazy!" Spike interrupted, throwing his hands up. "Sure, Queens has ta stopped being closed off ta New York an' youse doin' a fine job 'o' turning it around into a respectable borough but siding with Brooklyn? No one's gonna side with youse!" Fury whirled around to face Spike, eyes flared. "I got rid of those who wouldn't, Spike, you know that. Everyone here now has nothing against Brooklyn minus our past; we'll be fine." Spike huffed at that and stalked off, leaving Fury at the door alone again. Everyone in Queens was family and treated as such, plain and simple, (which was why they were so friendly towards those in their lodging house even in the company of enemies) but sometimes that attitude took a toll on her. Spike was too reckless and held far too many grudges for Fury's taste, but he was willing to lay down his life for her, which was what she needed right now, being the newest leader.

I said I needed proof that Spot could win, Fury reminded herself. That should be enough to convince everyone that things are gonna change…

$N$

Spot and Ink made their way down Haven Street, their lodging house barely in sight. "Ya think we can count on err if we go up against Harlem by ourselves?" Ink asked his superior worriedly. Spot nodded quietly. "We can," he stated simply, fingering the tip of his cane absentmindedly. Ink blinked, vaguely surprised. "How youse know dat Spot? We hardly met da giorl ya know." Spot looked at his friend, mock disappointment written all across his face. "Isa a leader Ink," he said simply. "It's me job ta read people."

Ink crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Well ok Mr. Isa-Can-Read-Minds, watt does dis fine young lady think 'o' us den?" Spot chose to ignore the sarcastic comment and stared up ahead. "Fury wants ta trust us, but she knows she can't until we prove it. It's da only way 'o' life for newsies in Queens. Dere big on trust, pure loyalty, toughness, an' family. Dey protect dere own even beta den Brooklyn does. All we ask is dat dey come back ta da house on time an' can answer ta a leader, but Queens, dey make sure whoever is a newsie is like family an' stick up for each other as well as demselves. Believe me, she's gonna help us."

Somewhat pleased with that, Ink fell silent again but just as easily came up with another question. "Watt do youse think about err anyways? Kinda strange in my opinion." Spot shrugged, letting his mind wander towards Fury and her leadership of Queens. "She seems like a good newsie, beta den River if dat's watt ya mean," he replied blandly. Ink just snorted humorously and led the way up the lodging house stairs. "Yeah, a good newsie. Spot, Isa saw da way youse was lookin' at err! But Isa don't blame ya, she ain't too bad on da eyes-"

"Isa don't got time for giorls right now Ink," Spot scolded, feeling his face go red and becoming suddenly thankful that it was dark out. "All Isa said was dat she looks like a capable leader, dat's all dere was." Ink laughed and pushed open the heavy door. "But youse didn't say ya wasn't!" he pointed out cheekily. Spot grew frustrated and took a swing at his second, but it was only halfheartedly and Ink was able to maneuver away from it with ease, still chuckling.

Just then Spot realized how busy and hurried-like the Brooklyn house seemed. All the boys inside were scrambling about half dressed and searching for their slingshots or spare marbles, each with his own agenda and barely acknowledging their newly-arrived leaders. Ink noticed this as well and grabbed a smaller newsboy, pulling him over. "Hey, watts dis all about?" he demanded. The boy looked up at them innocently and pointed towards Bowler, who was busy ordering a couple of lagging newsies in the hall. "Ask im'," he stated simply.

"Hey Bowler!" Spot called out to the newsboy they'd appointed in charge while they were gone. "Watt's goin' on? Brooklyn falls apart in da hour we were in Queens 'o' something?" Bowler snapped his head up and let out a huge sigh of relief before waving the boys off and running over to his leaders. "Thank Heaven youse finally here!" he breathed, wiping a drop of sweat off his brow. "Isa dunno how ya do it, dis place is way too much work ta run with just two people-"

"Get ta da point Bowler!" Spot interjected, rolling his ice blue eyes. Bowler nodded and bit his lip. "Harlem sent an attack party ova da border 15 minutes ago. Some 'o' da biords just came back an' da rest are keeping em' at bay until we can arrive with reinforcements." Ink groaned and put his head in his hands. "We're doomed!" he mourned. Spot just stared out the door blankly and ran his hand across his cane's golden tip.

"It's begun."

$N$

**Here it is! Hope all of you liked it and I'll update ASAP. Thank you to all whom reviewed and will review, I appreciate it mucho! **

_**-Rellimmes **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

By the time Spot and his band of newsies reached their border between the Bronx and Brooklyn it was too late. Four battered and bruised bodies lay in a bloody heap on the ground-all that remained of the noble Brooklyn birds that had stayed behind to delay Harlem's advances. Not seeing any of the attacking party, Spot knelt down and touched the neck of each one of the boys. Then he stood up and spat on the ground venomously. "They're dead," he announced, hatred laced in his voice.

"Shark!" a strangled cry rang out from the group behind them, getting Spot's attention. The King turned to see Ink flying towards him, only to be held back by several others. Ink tried to fight the newsboys holding him back, all the time screaming for his younger brother, but to no avail. Finally Brooklyn's second stopped struggling and let tears fall. Spot motioned for them to let Ink go and the boy rushed forward towards Shark's body. Kneeling down like Spot had done, he took the little boy's head in his lap and ran his fingers through his hair, sobbing quietly to himself. Then he looked up at Spot with rage-filled eyes. "They're gonna pay Spot," he growled dangerous. "They just have to." Spot patted his friend on and back and nodded quietly. "An' dey will Ink. I promise."

All the Brooklyn boys stood there silently, mourning their fallen comrades. The three birds that had escaped the brawl sat there speechless, still trying to comprehend how close to death they come. Ink was still on the ground cradling his little brother's body, something that surprised Spot, considering that Ink had never been an emotional kind of person. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone started coughing and wheezing. The Brooklyn newsies all turned to one another glaring, angry at the boy who had dared disturb them. But the noise hadn't come from the living newsboys- it had come from the _dead._

Spot whirled around to face Ink, who was closest to the bodies. The second blinked the turned his head back towards his brother; and screamed. There was Shark, alive and breathing, coughing up blood and trying to stand. Ink cried out for joy and embraced him, then looked back, glaring, at the other newsies who were standing there snickering, daring them to laugh openly. Shark buried his face in his older brother's shirt, whimpering. "Ink, it's a trap!" he stuttered, pulling away and pointing into the darkness encompassing the group. "Dere already here!"

As if right on cue, a gang of 10 to 15 Harlem newsies emerged from the impending shadows, smirking and cracking their knuckles threateningly. "Well, well, well, if it ain't da famous Spot Conlon, down off his throne 'o' crates!" a menacing voice greeted them. It belonged to the leader of the Harlem group, a ragged sort of fellow with yellow teeth bared.

"Hey River, how's Harlem suiting ya?" Spot replied sarcastically, sneering at the former Queens leader. "Bein' second good an' all?" River glared at him and took and stepped forward, anger practically aerating off of him. "Ain't da same as bein' King, Conlon," he responded. "Which is why Giant's makin' me King in ya place when we kill ya!"

While the Brooklynites all brought out their slingshots and aimed them all at River, Spot just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Isa sure da leader 'o' Harlem's _very _good at keeping his promises." River narrowed his eyes and motioned for his newsies to move forward and attack. "Just as long as Isa uphold m end 'o' da bargain. Which will be a piece 'o' cake considering ya only brought 8 other people with youse, not counting ya softie 'o' a second ova dere." He chuckled at Ink, who was busy helping his 9 year old brother to his feet. "Youse like me present Ink? Seems ya do gotta heart aft' all!"

The second left Shark with two other birds and turned to River, clenching his fists. "Isa won't have one when it comes ta killin' youse!" Then he lunged at River, who just casually stepped aside and let him ram into a row of boxes. "How very touching. Gentlemen, go get em'!"

And with that said the Harlem boys moved in on Brooklyn, each dead intent on ripping their throats out.

$N$

The fight was quick, to be honest. Although greater in size and numbers, Harlem had little to no fighting technique, which made defeating this party all too easy for Spot and his men. But by the time all 15 of the newsies from Harlem were knocked out or run away and Spot could get to River he was gone, disappeared while his men did all the dirty work for him. _Dat's da way Harlem leaders work, _Spot reasoned bitterly. _Dey all cowards at heart. _Shark and the birds had also disappeared, but everyone knew where they'd gone. During the battle the boys had taken it upon themselves to clear away and bury their friend's bodies as well as take Shark back to the lodging house to clean him up. Spot made a mental note to thank them later.

The King then walked over to where Ink lay, still unconscious from running into the boxes. He shook his second awake and looked down upon him impassively. Ink got up silently and stared down at the ground guiltily. "Sorry Spot," he mumbled almost too quietly to hear. "Isa wasn't thinking." Spot nodded and walked away. "Don't let it happen again."

Just then a smaller newsie, one of the ones left behind at the house, ran up to them, out of breath and clearly troubled. "Spot, Spot!" he called out to the King, wide eyed and bouncing up and down. "Dere here, dey came! Dere at da house right now! Ya gotta get ova dere pronto!" Spot grasped the kid's shoulders and weighed him down. "Calm down Dusty! Now, slowly, who's back at da LH?"

But Dusty didn't answer, just pulled out of Spot's grip, grabbed his hand and pulled him along with Ink and everyone else in tow. "C'mon, let's go!"

By the time Spot had finally gotten back to the house he was out of breath, as were the rest of the newsies minus Dusty. _How dat kid has enough energy ta get here an' back without stopping is beyond me! _Spot thought exasperatedly. Dusty tugged him up the stairs, pushed open the door and shoved Spot into the living room. "Here dey are!" he exclaimed proudly, beaming up at the Brooklyn leader.

Spot's ice blue eyes fell upon the scene. There they were, exactly 20 Queens newsies, all sitting in the living room looking back at Spot expectantly. Fury herself was standing in front of them, arms crossed and fire lighting up her eyes mischievously. "Alright Conlon," she announced, standing feet shoulder width apart, making her look intimidating. "You've convinced me. What do you got?"

$N$

Spot's jaw dropped. It had been what, only three hours since Fury had denied them and here she was sitting his living room waiting for instructions? _How crazy can today get?_ Spot asked himself. He nodded towards Fury and headed out of the room, motioning for her to follow him. When they reached the hallway and turned around and glared at her fiercely. "Watt da youse think ya doin'?" he demanded impatiently. "Comin' in here when we just lost 3 biords an' sayin' youse gonna help us when ya just said youse needed ta know we had watt it took!"

Fury glared back at Spot equally as hard and set her jaw stubbornly. "You did Conlon. You beat Harlem the first time around, but you definitely won't do twice in a row. That's why I'm here, in case you haven't noticed!" Spot groaned and ran his head through his hair, looking away before looking back again with a calmer but disgruntled expression. "Youse nova told me dat River was da second 'o' Harlem," he told her. That set Fury off big time; all collectivity and relaxation forgotten, she got right up in Spot's face, eyes blazing. "Look, none of us knew River was in Harlem until tonight, so don't go blaming this on me, ok? You should be happy I'm even here, because I normally don't go into Brooklyn for just anyone!"

"An' we're happy ya here," Spot reasoned with her, trying to take it down a notch. He knew Fury could easily change her mind about siding with Brooklyn and let Harlem tear them to shreds, and right now they weren't off to a great start. "Isa sorry Isa got all mad, disses just been rough on all 'o' us already. Ink almost lost his little brother tonight with da four biords dat were attacked, so if youse an' ya boys could cut us a little slack dat would be great."

Fury nodded solemnly at this and looked back towards the living room, where Brooklyn and Queens newsies alike were busy getting to know each other already. "They know we're gonna be staying with them awhile, to might as well make friends instead of enemies," she observed. Spot silently agreed, then realized something. "Where's da rest 'o' ya borough?" he asked, puzzled. "Ain't dey comin' too?"

The Queen of Queens shook her head and leaned up against the wall. "I have 36 newsies exact. I brought 20 with me, 10 of them are too young to fight and the other 6 are my birds, two of which are in Manhattan at the moment. These are all I can get at the moment; the rest are holding down the fort while I'm gone." Spot instantly recognized how military-style run Queens actually was. Fury ran them like a general! He bobbed his head in understanding and looked towards Queens's second Spike, who unlike the rest wasn't taking part in the festivities. "Watt's his problem?"

Fury shrugged, cleaning underneath her fingernails with her dagger's point. "Spike's aright. He was my first friend when I came to the Queens LH with my brother, actually. Was the person to nominate me as second, stood behind me when I took control of the town. I'll admit, he _has _gotten a bit moody lately, but that comes with the leader's second job I guess."

Spot chuckled humorously, trying to imagine a burly kind of guy straining under the pressure of being a leader. "Was dere eve' a time when youse _wasn't _in control 'o' something?" he laughed jokingly. Spot continued to laugh, but then fell silent when he saw the look on Fury's face. She wore a saddened expression, but then it grew hard and unreadable. She looked away, as if staring at some unseen, far-off place. "Once," was her reply. "But that was a long time ago." Finally she turned to the Brooklyn leader, her expression emotionless. "It only happened once more, but never again."

The King cocked his head, completely confused. "Watt happened ta youse?" he questioned, staring deep into Fury's unique eyes. The raven haired girl held his gaze for a moment, defiant, but then broke away and proceeded to head back into the room. But Spot grabbed her elbow and pulled her back. "No, youse gonna answer dis one!" he stated, a bit frustrated. "If we're gonna be allies we're gonna have ta trust each other, no excuses." Fury wrestled her arm out of Spot's grip and scowled at him, but she stayed all the same. "Fine," she muttered. "What do you wanna know?"

"Watt happened da first time youse wasn't in control 'o' da situation."

Fury sighed and sat down in the lodging house stairwell, looking tired and forlorn. For the first time Spot didn't see her as the tough, battle-hardened, intelligent and beautiful creature she was. Instead he saw a weakened, vulnerable, and unsure human being trying her hardest to keep what remained of her sanity. It was only for a brief moment, but it gave the King a crystal clear image of the pain Fury had endured over the years.

"It was two years ago," Fury began, staring down at the floor quietly. "My older brother Royce and I had been in Queens about a year, but our family for the most part still lived in Brooklyn, including our parents. I was second at the time and was always sneaking over there to visit them with Royce when that war broke out between the two of us. That was the war that made you King, remember?" Spot nodded, fully recalling the war with Queens that had placed him on Brooklyn's throne after the former leader had been killed. It had never occurred to him that they had been second in commands at the same time. "Isa remember."

"You should. About 5 weeks into it one of your newsies pulled a gun on a couple Queens newsies about a block off of the Queens border, in the Italian quarter. My parents got caught in the cross-fire." By then tears were threatening to spill over the girl's eyes, but still she held them back. She looked up at Spot with a sort of saddened expression, ready to cry. "It was the first time I couldn't do anything to help them, and then my whole life came crashing down on top of me. My brother started going off the deep end, Queens just barely survived, and my family was practically gone. It was only recently things have gotten better-"

Fury let her voice trail off, so Spot finished for her. "An' dat was aft' River stepped down an' disappeared."

"Exactly." Fury then straightened back up, tears vanquished and back to her old brisk and business-like manner without the slightest indication that they had ever been there to. "Do you see why I was so reluctant to trust you now?" Spot nodded, feeling suddenly guilty. "Because Brooklyn didn't just destroy ya borough; dey destroyed ya family." Fury nodded in return, absentmindedly fingering her knife hilt. "When we finally drove River out of Queens and I took his place I made sure it never happened again. We didn't pick any more fights with other boroughs, became more like a family than ever before. I would never wish that on anyone Conlon. Not even my worst enemy."

Spot felt a hint of sympathy for Fury, but he didn't have time to discuss it further with her. The Queen suddenly got up, brushed herself off, and shot him a rare smile. "So, are we done here then? I need to talk to Spike." Spot regretted it instantly, but waved her off all the same. "Go ahead, ya fine," he dismissed her. Fury thanked him and left. As Spot watched her leave he stopped to admire how courageous and strong this girl was. One could never tell how much pain she had endured. The King was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Ink come up behind him until he was practically loomed over his shoulder.

"She _is _something, ain't she?" the Brooklyn second teased his superior, chuckling. Spot turned red and shoved Ink away, slightly disgruntled. "She's just an ally, dat's it!' he protested, but Ink was on a role. "Isa mean, she a looker, no one's gonna blame youse if ya take a liking to err' or nothing. Queens ain't our enemy anymore, aft' all-"

"Fury won't appreciate ya talkin' about err like dat," Spot pointed out, trying to move away from the personal topic. _But he's right. She ain't dat bad once ya get ta know err…_

Fortunately Ink interrupted his thoughts before they could go anywhere else. "Speaking 'o' Fury, has youse actually talked ta err' second?" Ink asked his boss. "Isa mean really _talked?_ Da guy don't feel right man, something's fishy about im'."

"Fury trusts im'," Spot replied plainly and without feeling. "Isa ain't sayin' she don't!" Ink replied, defensive. "Isa just sayin' he's kind 'o' creepy! Isa can back it up too! Ya know Isa was talkin' ta a couple 'o' da Queens newsies, an' dey say dat Spike runs off at _least _twice a week without reason. Believe me, he's a little shady Spot, ya might wanna keep an eye one im'." Spot didn't want to go behind Fury's back, especially when it concerned her own friend, but Ink was right; there _was _something strange about Queens's second. Finally he said "Go find two biords an' tell em' ta stick ta Spike like pitch. Don't let im' go nowhere without us knowing about it."

Ink nodded and took off, leaving Spot to ponder these turn of events. He knew as well as anyone that all leaders had their secrets, some more than others, and Fury would be no different, but there was more to Queens than met the eye. And Spot was going to find out just what.

$N$

**How was this one? I hope it answered all (or most) of your questions that I could in only one chapter (a writer has to save**_** some**___**mystery for later, am I right?)**__

**I would like to thank the following for their reviews:**

**Ealasaid Una- I would like to point out that I wasn't going to have Fury tell Spot about her parents until later, but your review changed my mind! Keep it up; you've got some good ideas. **

**J.E Magic- Thanks for the long and lovely review, I LOVE long reviews! To answer your questions, I don't think a love affair is in order (but before I write it off completely I need to know what it is!) and she most definitely won't leave Queens for Spot, but Spot's obviously falling for her, so that amounts to something, yes? **

**Asian-Inkwell- I think that your question was answered in the chapter, but I thought I should thank you for reviewing! It was VERY MUCH appreciated! **

**Now that I'm done ranting….. Review!**

_**Rellimmes**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Three weeks later….

Spot walked carefully down the steps of the Brooklyn lodging house, moving his fingers one by one gently but efficiently. Last night he and Fury had led their second attack on Harlem, one that had while been successful cost them two Queens newsies and the temporary use of Spot's left hand. Now that he could move every limb in his body again they could prepare for an attack from Harlem, something that was sure to come.

Stopping at the bottom of the staircase Spot glanced over at Fury, who at the moment was talking to one of her subjects from Queens. The King couldn't help but smile; their relationship had taken a turn for the better in the past few weeks, gone from rivals to allies to decent friends in such a little amount of time. Spot couldn't help but notice each day how beautiful Fury was, but each time he did the newsie forced himself to push it out of his mind. He wasn't falling for her, was he?

Walking a bit closer to Fury, Spot overheard the final bit of her conversation with the little girl she was talking to. He then tried to stifle a laugh. The green-eyed girl Fury was talking to was the very same one Spot and Ink had met their first time in Queens, but this time she was less hostile. The two Queens newsgirls barely even noticed Spot was there.

"I told you Chip, I don't have time for that. We're in a war!" Fury was protesting.

"Yeah, but he's-"

Fury put her hands on her hips and looked sternly at Chip, who suddenly backed down. "Fine," Chip huffed. "But you're missing out."

"Just make sure I have this right!" Fury snapped.

Chip sighed and waved her hand for Fury to start. "Ok, so the Bronx got too close to our LH last night and Spike did nothing?" the Queen confirmed. Chip nodded. "Absolutely nothing! Just took one look at them, said they were supposed to be there and left." Fury frowned deeply and ran her hands down her black braid. "I'll talk to him about it next time he's around. Thanks Chip." The green-eyed girl smiled politely and winked at her leader devilishly. "Just remember what I told you." Then she turned and dashed back out the door.

Feeling slightly curious, Spot stepped forward in front of Fury and grinned. "Watt was dat about?"

Fury snapped her head up, startled, but broke out into a grin at the sight of Spot. "You really need to stop doing that to me, Spot. You almost gave me a heart attack!" The King chuckled, tapping his cane on the floor. "Where's da fun in dat? But youse didn't answer me question; watt were youse talking about with Chip ova dere?" He nodded towards the door. Fury frowned again and sighed. "Sorry, that was one of my birds. She said something about Spike acting weird lately and I promised to look into it."

"Oh." Spot decided to leave out the part where he too had sent a detail out on Spike, figuring that since Fury hadn't mentioned it she either knew about it already and didn't mind or hadn't found out yet. He watched as she pulled her black overcoat (this girl wore a lot of black!) on and started out the door. "Hey!" Spot called out. "Where youse goin'?" Fury glanced back at him, surprised. "For a walk. I haven't been out of the house for fun in forever!"

Spot laughed at her apparent relief and stepped out with her. "Well den, would ya mind if youse had a little company?" Fury raised her eyebrows but giggled and accepted. "I think I might Mr. Conlon," she replied, mocking the wealthy class accent. "What a gentlemen you are!" The two friends both laughed and started down towards the docks. When they'd finally calmed down Spot thought of something.

"Where'd youse learn ta speak so proper anyways?" he asked curiously. Fury shrugged and kept her eyes on the walkway before her. "I wasn't always a street rat, remember? I had a family, an education, the whole package. I sold just the evening edition before the war started to earn extra money, if you'll recall." She remained silent for a minute. "My education's gotten me lots of places recently, Spot. You get more customers if you learn how to talk 'properly'. My brother Royce, when he became a newsie he sort of picked up on the language. Lost plenty of opportunity that way." Fury then laughed harshly. "That was around the same time he became bitter. Losing Mom and Dad was too much, I think. That and always moving around."

She paused for a moment, and Spot took the chance to ask another question. "Watt youse mean by moving around? Where all has youse family lived exactly?" His companion laughed, this time lightening up the mood and smiling. "Oh, I don't know. We lived in Little Italy for the longest time, and then moved to the Italian quarter of Brooklyn while selling in Queens. The distribution center was closer than yours, I think. Either way I made a really good friend when I lived there. His name was Anthony, real sweet and funny as all get- out. His parents were lost in the same shooting that killed mine. After that Royce and I moved to Queens permanently."

Spot felt a twinge of jealousy at the way Fury talked about this 'Anthony'. It was like he was something special- _Watt youse think ya doin'? _his nagger interrupted. _She's a friend, stop thinking 'o' her like dat! Why does it matter anyways? It ain't like she could see youse like dat anyhow. __Shut up, _he told it. Meanwhile, Fury had finished and was waiting for him to speak. "Spot, you ok?" she asked slowly, cocking her head slightly. "You're awfully quite."

"Nothing, just thinking," Spot replied, a little too quickly. Fury regarded him for a moment, and then decided to let it go. "You never tell anyone about your life Spot," she pointed out suddenly. Spot frowned and kicked at a rock sullenly. "Not much ta talks about." Fury snorted. "If it wasn't much to talk about then I would know already. Plus you owe me for telling you about my own life." She shoved him playfully in the arm. "So spill!" Spot was reluctant about it, but Fury was right, he _did _owe her. So he did.

"It ain't as elaborate as youse own, Isa sure," he scoffed. "All dat happen was me Ma dyin' in a factory accident an' me Pa leavin' me ta die on da streets in da dead 'o' January. Said Isa looked too much like Ma, he said. Survived off 'o' stealing for about a month before I pick-pocketed a newsie. He caught me, said Isa was pretty good, offered ta teach me how ta be a newsie. Rose up through da ranks shortly aft. Isa guess dat's it really." Fury nodded solemnly. "Short but terrible. I'm sorry Spot, I didn't know."

The King snorted and picked up the rock he had kicked, throwing it into the river. "Yeah, well now ya do." The two were silent for a moment, and soon found themselves at the Brooklyn Bridge. Fury left Spot's side and walked over to the railing, staring down out over the water. Spot stood behind her, watching her intently. His mind wandered towards the conversation she had been having with Chip and what she could have been talking about, but stopped abruptly once he heard a peculiar noise. It was so perfect, so wholesome, so divine- it was Fury singing. Spot quickly tuned into the music and smiled. He'd never seen Fury like this before (but, then again, she wasn't an open book either).

_There is a way_

_There is a spark_

_There is a hope that you can hold onto_

_There is a lifeline_

_Come to the rescue_

_Just like a hand_

_That's waiting for you _

_And if you believe this it's my promise that you won't be alone_

_There is a way_

_The truth and the life and the way_

Spot listened for a couple minutes, then, when Fury was finished he started to clap politely. Fury whirled around, knife in hand, but then saw him and breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry, I forgot you were still there," the Queen apologized, blushed and putting her dagger away. Spot laughed and put his hand on her arm reassuringly. "S'fine, youse were great!" Fury smiled timidly, running her hand down the back of her neck. "You really think so? My mother used to sing it to me and Royce when we were little. I'd almost forgotten all about it."

Spot looked at her quizzically. "Interestin'. Hey, ya nova talk about ya older brother. He don't live in Queens does he?" Fury turned away, back over the water, frowning. "There isn't much to talk about. He's about two years older than me, only family left I guess. He was my idol when I was younger. He said that he would always protect me, be there for me, you know?" "Den where is he now, if he ain't around?" Spot pressed. Fury gritted her teeth, as if trying to suppress a bad memory. "Only dead to me," she muttered harshly.

That silenced Spot for a bit, giving Fury a chance to cool down. After a minute she faced Spot, this time more relaxed and in control. "Isn't it odd that we know more about each other on a week than anyone else does in a whole year?" They both broke out laughing. "Youse gotta admit, it _is _kind 'o' strange," Spot remarked. "An' ta think we used ta be da worst 'o' enemies-"

"And now look at us!" Fury finished, still trying to catch her breath. "Two borough leaders having a 'civilized' conversation!" She mocked the rich accent again, which got the two started off again. After a good five minutes they were able to calm down, and Spot looked at his pocket watch. "We'd beta get goin' it's almost midnight." Fury paused and shook her head. "Go on ahead, I'll stay out here a bit longer. I need to get to Manhattan anyways." Spot crinkled but his nose in confusion. " Watt's youse doin' in 'Hattan?"

Fury shrugged and started off. "Visiting an old friend!"

The King of Brooklyn nodded and watched her go for a minute, then turned around and whispered into the darkness "Alright Hotshot, Isa know ya dere. C'mon out." A small boy no older than 10 slipped out of the shadows and faced his leader. "Ya rang sir?" he lisped, imitating a butler. Spot chuckled and pointed at Fury's disappearing figure. "Follow err an' make sure she don't get into trouble. Find out watt she's doin' in 'Hattan pronto." Hotshot nodded but didn't go just yet. "Hey Spot, can Isa ask youse something?" he questioned. Spot shrugged and waved grim on. "Sure kid, watt youse wanna know?"

"Everyone's talkin' about youse bein' in love with Fury," Hotshot said bluntly. "Is dat true?"

Spot was caught off guard, if only for a moment. Did he? Honestly, did he? Smiling politely and ruffling up Hotshot's hair, he finally replied "Isa ain't sure yet kid. Gimme time, den maybe." The bird shrugged and crossed his arms, acting older than he really was. "Youse own loss den, she's real nice. Fury's kind an' pretty an' smart an' real, real tough-like. All da older boys say youse missin' out, but Isa guess da heart wants what da heart wants-"

"Just follow err' an' report back, alright?" Spot snapped, trying to get Hotshot to stop babbling. "Ya giving me a headache!" Hotshot muttered sorry and took off down the Bridge, towards where Fury had gone. Satisfied, Spot turned tail and headed back to Brooklyn.

$N$

Fortunately for Fury, she didn't have to travel all the way to Manhattan tonight. Her friend was just halfway down the Brooklyn Bridge, waiting to meet her. In fact, there he was now, leaning on the railing looking over the harbor and watching a barge float by. "Hey Anthony!" the Queen of Queens called out to him. "How's it rolling?" Anthony turned around and broke out into a wide grin. "How many times Isa gotta tell youse Fury, it's Racetrack now!" he retorted playfully. Fury walked up beside him and shoved him on the shoulder good-naturedly. "Yeah, but you'll always be Anthony to me, eh?" the Italian girl told her best friend.

Racetrack laughed and motioned for her to sit down on the bench next to him. Fury did so and handed him a cigar. "Not you're usual, but best I could find," she apologized. Race waved it off, lighting it up and taking a puff. "Nah, youse did good. How's Queens? Youse an' Brooklyn getting along beta now dat ya allies an' whatnot?" Fury shrugged, lighting up her own cigarette. "Better I guess. We're allies, that's all. How are you and Rosemary doing? Still dating and everything?"

The Manhattan newsie smiled and got a faraway look in his eyes. "Yeah, we're great! Took err ta dinner last night actually." "Oh, good for you!" Fury congratulated. "You two make the _cutest _couple! What about Jack and Sarah, are they alright? I haven't seen Sarah in ages." Race snickered, taking another whiff of his cigar before blowing it out to save it for later. "Youse wouldn't believe it! Dere as strong as eva, sure, but boy is dey lovey-dovey! Gracious, me an' Rosemary is barely even half dat. It's funny, we're all jokin' about dem getting' married an' such, but Isa found out from Davey Jack's actually bought da ring!"

Fury gasped in delight and clapped her hands giddily. "Oooh, that's so sweet! Rather fast, but knowing them it's gonna work like magic. Is Sarah gonna say yes, do you know?" Race nodded. "David told me, Mush an' Blink dat she's gonna say yes if he does, she told im'. But we're off topic! How youse an' Spit getting' along?" The Queen suddenly grew quiet and stared at her laced up boots like they were something interesting. Race cocked his head, worried about his best friend. "Hey, youse ok Trinity?" he asked, using her real name.

"I'm fine Tony, it's nothing," the girl countered, but Race still pressed on. "Well t ain't nothin', or else youse woulda already answered da question. Watt, Spot too bossy for ya taste?" fury shot Race a glare and shook her head. "No, it's not like that, Spot's a nice guy and we're friends-"

"So watt's eating ya?"

The Queens newsie sighed and twirled her braid around her finger, looking up into Racetrack's warm brown eyes. "It's just, well, he'd never go for a girl like me, you know? Race, Spot's really nice once you get to know him, not to mention the best looking guy I've ever really been attracted to, but he's got girls practically FALLING at his feet! And look at me; I'm a newsie leader of an opposite borough with more baggage than a freight train….." she let her voice trail off. Race placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and frowned. "Guy troubles huh? Fury, if anything, youse by far da best giorl for im', mark me words. Youse got everything Spot admires in a giorl; don't let Royce's failures become youse too. Dat's his problems- youse is a clean slate. He'll comes around, Isa sure 'o' it."

Fury smiled faintly and gave Race a sisterly sort of kiss on the cheek. "Thank Tony. You're the best, you know that?" Race laughed and pretended to faint from shock. "Big surprise dere!" he joked. "How if only Isa can get Rosemary ta say da same thing…." Fury chuckled and got up to leave. "See you around Racetrack Higgins!" she called out behind her, waving at him. Race saluted his best friend and departed as well. "_Addio Trinity!" _

The girl laughed at the surprising use of their first language and took off back to Brooklyn.

$N$

Spot was just finishing up a conversation with Ink when Hotshot ran in, clearly out of breath. Ink looked at the King curiously but said nothing as Spot walked towards the bird. "So, where'd she go?" he asked the 7 year old impatiently. Hotshot pointed out the door and then plopped down in a vacant chair. "Not far. All Fury did was meet some guy at da center 'o' da Bridge. Youse know dat Anthony character she told youse about? He's actually Racetrack!"

"Racetrack? As in Racetrack _Higgins_?" Ink confirmed, walking over to check on the two. "Isa nova knew he used ta live in Brooklyn." "Neither did I," Spot growled. Hotshot recognized the distinct jealousy in his leader's eyes, so he moved forward to finish the rest of the report. "But dey ain't an item or nothin'!" he said quickly. "Dere just old friends. Race's actually gotta giorlfriend; some Manhattan schoolgiorl named Rosemary." Spot subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed Hotshot, whom immediately took off to find his pal Shark. Ink snorted when he saw the look on his face. "Is dis a hint 'o' jealous I sense Spot?" he asked innocently.

The King whirled around to glare at his second. "Wha-no! Isa just wanted ta know where Fury went, dat's it." Ink winked mischievously at him. "Sure ya did. Spot, youse can tell me. We all know youse like err."

"Isa do not! Fury's just a friend!"

"Spot." Ink rolled his eyes. "Ya me pal, Isa ain't gonna tell no body. It ain't like she's here ta hear youse anyways. Fury's probably still a long way off."

The Brooklynite frowned and slumped down into the chair Hotshot was just recently in. "Well, watt do youse want me ta say Ink? She's one 'o' kind! Fury- she ain't like da rest 'o' dem giorls Isa see every now an' den. Look at err; she's a knockout, intelligent, tough as nails, she's da first female newsie ta eva take charge a borough, much less a rough town like Queens. But we're friends; dat's all she wants. Ta her err' borough and leadership will always come first, with Queens dat's always how it's been. She wouldn't even consider lookin' at a guy like me like dat."

Brooklyn's second frowned and rolled his eyes again. "Spot Conlon, Isa can't believe youse! Has ya looked at youseself in da mirror lately? Isa gonna deny it da rest 'o' me life, but youse actually ain't half bad Spot. Ya da filthy leader 'o' Brooklyn, da King 'o' New York for crying out loud! Don't tell me Fury wouldn't look at ya like dat because she already is! Haven't ya noticed how similar ya two are? Dat's why ya became such good _friends._ Look, maybe she _is _loyal ta err borough- she should be! It's about da same as youse, aft' all. Just keep bein' friends, keep testing da waters. Fury'll come around; she ain't stupid." And with that said Ink left to go find Shark.

Spot stayed where he was, mulling over Ink's words. Maybe he was right; perhaps he _did _stand a chance after all…..

"SPOT CONLON GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!" a furious voice rang out from the front door, making the house shake. Spot whirled around to face none other than Fury herself, eyes glowing with untold malice. She saw him and stalked over, getting everyone in the room's full attention. The Queen stopped right in front of him and smacked the newsboy clear across the face. "I give you my trust, my loyalty, my dedication, and _this _is how you repay me? By attaching a detail out on me and watching my every move? What's wrong with you?"

The Brooklynite turned a pale white and bit his lip. Fury had found out about his sending Hotshot to find out whom she was meeting and obviously felt offended. Very, very offended. "Fury, Isa sorry, alright?" he tried to explain, but the girl just pushed him away and stormed off. Spot groaned and ran after her, hoping it wasn't too late to seek forgiveness.

$N$

**Did I do OK or what? I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, but life's, well, hectic at the moment. Who's ready to go back to school? Not me! But you can cheer me up by reviewing, so press the button below and I'll update fast, K?**

**-Rellimmes**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Fury…. Fury wait up!" Spot cried, running after his friend as she stalked down the road, away from the Brooklyn lodging house. _Isa screwed dis one up bad, _the King was thinking over and over in his head. _Now she'll never forgive me. _"Where youse goin'?"

"Back to Queens!" was her reply, fierce and horrible sounding. "Rot in hell Spot Conlon!" Spot, who was now right behind Fury, reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop and listen to him. Well, he tried to. Spot had no idea if it was sudden reflex or just plain anger that made Fury lash out like she did, but before he could do anything he found himself pinned up against the nearest wall Fury could find, silver dagger at his throat. "I thought we were _friends _Spot!" Fury growled a facade of emotionless just barely concealing the betrayal she felt. "But I guess I was wrong. Sending a detail out on a leader; you thought I wouldn't notice?"

Spot turned red but kept cool and pushed Fury off of him, then turned to face her. He knew that he only had so much time (or none at all) before she could clear her head and figure out that she could easily just withdraw her alliance with them and watch as Brooklyn fell. He couldn't let that happen; not without a fight at least. "Look Fury, Isa sorry, ok-?"

"_Sorry_ doesn't cut it just faced with betrayal, you know that!" the Queen snarled meanly. "Would ya let me finish for once?" Spot snapped irritably. Fury looked pretty upset, but nevertheless she sheathed her knife and crossed her arms, tapping her booted foot on the ground impatiently. "Alright Conlon. You got two minutes before I rip your heart out." Spot took a deep breath. It wasn't a good enough time period, but he had to go with it. "Ok, Isa was curious about where youse was headed an' who youse were seeing, especially at night, an' with spies from Harlem everywhere Isa thought it'd be safer if Isa sent Hotshot ta keep an eye on youse, dat's it honest! Youse a dang good ally Fury, an' Isa be sent ta hell if Isa half ta loose youse in da midst 'o' a war."

Fury cocked her head, listening intently. When Spot had finished she set her jaw, pondering this. When she finally spoke, she chose her words carefully. "That doesn't excuse the fact that you went behind my back Spot," she muttered quietly. "Do you expect me to just let that go?" Spot chewed his bottom lip for a moment, silent. "How about dis; youse forgive me for sending a biord out ta spy on youse an' I'll be open with youse about everything from here on out? No more lies, Isa promise." He held out his hand for her to shake. Fury regarded him coolly, but sighed and took it. "Fine," she breathed. "But the moment you break that promise I'm gone, got it?"

"Clear."

"Good."

The two stayed silent for a moment, as if some understanding passed in between them, but then Spot hurriedly looked away. "Isa guess dat Isa gotta spill everything now, huh?" he asked guilty. Fury nodded, somewhat triumphant. "Pretty much." Spot groaned den promise dat youse won't get super mad at me aft' Isa admit dis?" he asked, blue eyes pleading. Fury chuckled. "Yeah sure, whatever. Now tell me; what else have you been doing?"

The King rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. "Three weeks ago Isa sent a detail out on ya second Spike. Dere was talk about him bein' all suspicious-like an' Isa told me biords ta keep me updated on his movements. Isa haven't called it off since." Fury nodded, as if she was expecting this, which surprised Spot. "I know about that already," she answered, flames dancing in her eyes. "I sent a couple of birds out on Spike as well. They said they kept on seeing your spies around when they would follow him- it wasn't too hard to put the pieces together."

Spot breathed a sigh of relief. "So, why'd youse send a detail out on ya own second? Ain't dat kinda like trust issues?" Fury laughed but then grew solemn again. "I guess you could say that. You came to the same conclusion I did; Spike's up to something. That's why I let him go, actually." Conlon's jaw dropped. "Fury, ya own friend? Why would youse do something like dat, ya known him forever!" The Queen of Queens looked away sadly. "It doesn't matter when your entire borough's safety is at stake. Face it Spot, Spike was too unreliable and he'd disappear too often. He could've had his hand in anything, especially anything illegal. I couldn't take that chance."

Spot smiled comfortingly and patted fury on the back reassuringly. "Ya did fine Fury. Anyone woulda done da same thing." "I've lost a friendship I spent years trying to build up in only one day," the raven haired beauty murmured, sulking. Spot lifted Fury's chin up so that he could look into her unique eyes. "Youse'll be fine. I promise." She smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks." Neither one was sure how long they help each other's gaze, but before they knew it a cry rang out from down the street. Spot whirled around, looking for the source of the noise and fury instinctively grabbed her knife, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice. It was only Hatter", but the bird was racing towards them with lightning speed shouting at them.

"Spot! Fury! Spot! Fury! Youse gotta get down dere quick! Harlem's attacking!"

The two leaders didn't need telling twice. They both went sprinting down the lane towards the LH, leaving a tired and out of breath Hatter in the dust.

$N$

When the three newsies got to the scene the battle was already underway outside the house, consisting of Harlem newsies vs. Queens, Brooklyn vs. Harlem and Queens/Brooklyn vs. Harlem. If the damage hadn't been so bad Spot would have complimented his boys on their good teamwork with Queens, and he reminded himself to thank them for their cooperation later. But now was not the time. It looked like both River and Giant had made an appearance at tonight's show, and both the borough leaders wasted no time diving into the fray to look for them. No sooner had they done so when Fury caught Spot's attention and pointed towards the middle of the chaos, where the two Harlem leaders were standing watching the fighting around them, virtually unopposed as everyone else was already dueling with one another.

"You think we can them?" Fury asked nervously, letting her true emotions show for the first time. Spot gulped but nodded nevertheless, even though he himself was rather intimidated by Giant's, well, _giant_ appearance. "It's now or nova Fury," he told her. "We won't get a chance like dis again, an' Isa think dey mean for dis battle ta be da last." "You mean it's do or die?" Fury confirmed, swallowing hard and pulling out her blade. Spot nodded solemnly. "Dis is it."

"Then let's do this." The Queen of Queens and the King of Brooklyn stepped out in front of the Harlemers, poised to strike. River took one look at Conlon and sneered, but Giant just laughed darkly. "Well then, if it isn't the famous Spot Conlon! Personally I expected someone, well….. taller!" he chuckled, his English accent heavy and twisted. River forced a laugh as well, but his eyes fell on Fury and he grew mysteriously quiet. Noticing this, Fury glanced at Spot quickly before sliding her dagger in front of her body, ready to duel. "You got Giant, this traitor's all mine!" she hissed, the flames in her eyes roaring around like a furnace. They made her look beautiful yet terrible at the same time, another thing Spot loved about her. "Ya sure youse got him?" he muttered back. She nodded. "I'm sure." Then they lunged forward.

$N$

Fury struck first. Now, under the New York Newsboys Code one never, ever aimed to kill during a fight unless you absolutely had to, but River gave her no choice. Drawing a long hunting knife of his own, the former Queens leader and his successor went at it, slicing and thrusting, maneuvering around each other's swings and blocking jabs with ease and (in Fury's case) gracefulness. Sparks flew as their blades connected, stinging Fury's face and drawing out the Queen's inner demons. She roared and lunged at River again.

"I gotta tell youse Fury, ya got beta in da months Isa been gone," he commented cockily as they fought. "Isa nova thought it was possible." Fury glared at him with deep and unrelenting hatred. "Yeah, well, I learned from the best!" she spat in his face, twirling around in her black leather as elite as a ballerina but just as deadly as ever.

"Ya know," River said. "Isa also didn't anticipate youse sidin' with Brooklyn. Aft' all da hate youse had for em' for two da three years Isa didn't think it was possible!" He sliced at his former second again, drawing blood from her cheek, but Fury hardly felt anything. She was concentrating on the look in his eyes when he did so. There was pain, anger- and instant regret? "Things change River," she growled, ignoring the emotions swirling about in River's eyes. "People change, rules change, leaders change, _I change." _She nicked his wrist, making blood gush out as payback for his own wound he had inflicted. "Karma."

River hollered in pain and dropped his weapon to clutch his hand, giving Fury time to send a powerful roundhouse kick to his chest and topple him to the ground. River never saw any of it coming, and before either one of them knew it Fury had driven her silver dagger through his stomach. Harlem's second cried out as he felt the stabbing pain and grasped the hilt of the knife, desperate to pull it out but unsuccessful. Meanwhile Fury stood beside him, her sense dulling around her. She no longer could hear the battle cries of the newsies around her; feel the pain in her cheek or the blood dripping down it; she couldn't even see her surroundings anymore. It was just her and River now.

The Queen screamed, fully realizing what she'd done and dropped down at River's side. She expertly pulled out the dagger in his stomach and pushed down upon it, trying to stop the flow of blood. "I'm sorry!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't mean it River, honest! Please don't die, stay with me!" The former Queens newsie looked up at her pitifully, brown eyes filled with tears. "I'm goin' ta die, aren't I Fury?" he asked quietly, almost like a scared child. The raven haired girl violently shook her head, trying to reassure herself more than him. "No!" she shouted forcefully. "You're NOT going to die on me! You can't, alright? River, you are GOING to LIVE!"

But the newsboy shook his head. "Don't youse lie ta me Trinity," he told her, using her given name. "Isa always could tell when ya were lying." Fury bit her lip to keep from sobbing and looked down into River's eyes. "But you won't right?" she asked, sounding like a lost child more than a battle-hardened warrior. "Promise me River, promise!" But River shook his head again, and then reached up to stroke her cheek. "Ya fought wonderfully Fury," he whispered. "Isa want youse ta remember dat. Always. Isa was an idiot ta leave ya alone in Queens, an' for dat I'm sorry." Fury let out a cry and grasped his hand strongly. "No!"

"Yes!" River nodded, a single tear escaping his eyes and running down his cheek. "Youse'll take care 'o' our boys for us, ya hear?" he rasped. When Fury didn't reply his grip on her hand tightened. "  
Promise!" The Queen looked at her mentor sorrowfully and nodded, shaking. "I will."

River sighed and fell back onto the ground, licking his cracked lips before whispering quietly, "Good." Then his eyes grew dim and he saw no more.

And right then and there Fury's world shattered.

$N$

Spot dove towards Giant, ready to fight to the finish. This guy had killed so many newsies and destroyed families; he deserved to die. Spot lashed out at Giant with his golden tipped cane, but the large boy just blocked it with his own, one made of silver with a fancy serpent on the handle. As the two leaders dueled Giant made conversation in mock politeness. "You know Conlon," he said. "I've always admired you and your work with Brooklyn. If you weren't so dedicated to your men I would have even considered recruiting you for our little revolution." He chuckled.

Spot disengaged, startled and eyed Giant warily. "Watt revolution?" he demanded. The Harlem leader laughed and swung at him again. "New York's getting too soft, Spot. You of all people should know that! Only our two select boroughs have still kept the old ways, the traditional ways of governing a colony, and it's about time they were revived around here. I had already planted a mole in Queens, the borough you would most certainly go to for help, and this one was quite reliable. He said Brooklyn would fall in a matter of months. He, unfortunately for you, overestimated your abilities. It will only take hours!"

Spot swerved around Giant's jab with his cane and blocked the second, catching them both in a deadlock. "Youse really think dat?" he asked, slightly concerned. Giant grinned maliciously, golden teeth gleaming in the impending darkness. "I do." "Den watt about da others?" Spot retorted, landing a punch in his enemy's shoulder. "Manhattan is almost as strong as us. If we fall den Jackie boy's definitely gonna rally up da rest 'o' da boroughs an' run youse outta New York! I'm sure 'o' it!" Giant just laughed harshly. "I have my ways," was his only reply.

The King landed a couple of kicks on Giant again (not that it did any good, the guy was as hard as rock) before being thrown into his back into the ground. Banging his head on the cobblestones, Conlon watched helplessly as Giant advanced and leered down over him, smiled victoriously. "Don't worry Conlon," he told him, raising a pistol towards Spot's forehead. "I'll promise to make your death sound heroic. How the great King of Brooklyn died protecting his borough and men while his superior towered over his bruised and battered body, when he was finally merciful enough to grant him death when he saw that the King was broken. Oh yes, that will make a great story, don't you think Spot?"

Struggling into an even less comfortable position, Spot glared up at Giant with cold blue eyes. "Youse'll nova break me!" he declared. But Giant just leaned down close to his face, so that it was just him and his captive. "But what about your girl Conlon? Can I break her?" Spot coughed up blood and stared hard into Giant's beady black eyes. "Isa don't gotta giorl, Giant," he lied through his teeth, all the while glanced back in the direction of stunning black-clad Fury. Giant followed his gaze, and then smirked when he saw who he was looking at. "Ah, the beautiful Fury Ramon, also known as Trinity so I've been told," he whispered evilly. "Well, I must say I'm not surprised. She isn't too bad on the eyes. Though I will admit Conlon, she _will _be tough to break. Do you know if she returns your affections?"

Conlon fell back on his back and shook his head. "Nova asked," he replied truthfully. Giant shrugged and cocked the gun, this time to kill. "Well then, I'll guess you'll never know will you?" "Wait! Ya forgot one thing!" Spot shouted, holding his hands up over his head. Giant stared down at him, pistol lowered and obviously perplexed. "And what might that be?" he asked, accent stronger than ever.

"This." With that Spot plunged his cane, still in his hands, right through Giant's throat. The Harlem leader was thrown back as he gasped and clutched his throat, choking on his own blood. Spot watched from his position on the ground, watching as the great leader swayed, spat in the air, then fell down, eyes rolling up into their sockets, dead. He breathed a sigh of relief and got up, collected his cane from off the ground, and went to find Fury.

All around him newsies were scattered across the street, some lying dead, others wounded, and some perfectly unscathed and helping others, from their own boroughs and Harlem alike. The war was over, it no longer mattered whose side who was on. Most Harlem newsies had been forced into service anyhow and where headed back to their own territory with their dead. The ones that had gone into it willingly were either rounded up or had already disappeared, never to return to Harlem or Brooklyn again.

Later Bowler, Shark, Hotshot, Dusty and Ink, who had taken charge of the birds during the final attack, found Spot and came up to him. "Spot, we've secured all da rough Harlem newsies an' rounded everyone else up from our own boroughs. Watt youse wants us ta do now?" Ink asked. Spot looked west-ward and stared into the distance. "Escort em' ta da edge 'o' da border. Tell em' ta get outta New York an' nova comes back." Bowler cocked his head slightly, confused. "Boss?" he questioned. "Ain't dat a little, I dunno, soft? Can't we soak em' first?"

Bowler's question hit a nerve with Spot, who was still hearing Giant's speech ringing in his ears. "Ya callin' me soft Bowler?" he growled, a little more meanly than he'd intended. Bowler stepped back, faintly surprised. "No Boss!" he said quickly. "Isa ain't sayin' it." "Good," The King finalized. "Because I and everyone else in dis town is Brooklyn. We're da toughest, strongest borough in dis city, ya hear me? Don't let anyone tell youse different." Shark crumpled up his nose in thought. "But ain't dat Queens?" he asked his older brother. All heads snapped in the bird's direction and Ink clamped his hand over Shark's mouth. "Shark!" he scolded, "Keep ya comments ta youseself little buddy!" Everyone laughed at that, then Spot turned and started to walk away.

"Hey Spot!" Dusty called out after his leader. "Where ya goin'?" Spot glanced back at the group of Brooklynites standing behind him. "Ta find Fury," was all he said. Dusty was about to say more, but Hotshot elbowed him in the ribs, shutting him up. "He said he was gonna go find Fury," he hissed. "Dat's all dat's need ta be said!" The small group let out a bunch of "Oh!"'s in acknowledgment and disbanded to go about their tasks of the evening.

Meanwhile Spot had run into Chip, Queens's head bird. "Hey Chip!" he exclaimed. "Youse know where Fury is?" The green-eyed girl went from all smiles to frowning deeply and sadly. She stared off into the darkness surrounding them and pointed towards the outskirts of the scene. "Dere," she whispered. "She don't look too good though. But Isa think youse know why." Spot stared at the petite young girl blankly. Chip shrugged before leaving him. "Den youse'll know soon enough, won't ya?"

Spot, more confused than ever, started to walk in Fury's direction, but stopped once he could make her figure. There the Queen was, kneeling next to the fallen body of River, cradling his head and rocking back and forth. Spot thought he heard something and strained to hear it. Fury was singing again, the same song she had sung on the Bridge. It had seemed like ages ago. Spot could make out the haunting sound through Fury's dry, racked sobs.

_There is a way_

_There is a spark_

_There is a hope that you can hold onto_

_There is a lifeline_

_Come to the rescue_

_Just like a hand_

_That's waiting for you _

_And if you believe this it's my promise that you won't be alone_

_There is a way_

_The truth and the life and the way_

When'd she'd finished Spot cautiously walked over to her and knelt down behind her. She didn't even look at him. "We'll have a proper funeral," she muttered dully. "A proper funeral back in Queens. River did a lot of good in that town, despite what happened later on. We all know it, and hopefully his good works will outweigh his sins in that regard. People will look at his grave and see a proud, strong leader instead of a rough and a traitor. I know it. It is the way of life in Queens."

Conlon stared at her disbelievingly. "Fury, ya can't be serious!" he protested. "Dis guy tried ta kill youse! His body should be thrown in da river with da others, not buried with full honors!" Fury looked up at Spot emotionlessly, not a hint or trance of the pain that had been there moments before. She was hiding her feelings, just like she had done when they'd first met. She was no longer a grieving child. She was a leader.

"You don't understand Spot," she replied in a hollow voice. "He regretted every bit of it as soon as I stepped out of that crowd to face him. He wasn't just my former leader and my mentor. River was Royce. _River was my brother." _

$N$

**Ok, I got the chapter up! Yeah! Unfortunately, we're almost towards the end of the story! Boo! But there's still time to review folks, so please press the blue button at the bottom and tell me what you think! **_**Bonus: a shout-out to anyone and everyone who can tell me the name of the song I got those lyrics from! (I know, they weren't from the 19**__**th**__** century era, but they were still somewhat fitting with the story.) You can use YouTube if you like. **_

**But first-**

**To my three guest reviewers: thank you for your input! It is greatly appreciated and I would very much like to have been able to write a proper response using your names, that's how awesome you are!**

**Ealasaid Una: Thank you once again for your lovely review! You are one of my most devoted readers and I applaud you!**

**J.E Magic: Again, one of my most devoted readers! I love your nice long reviews, they make me feel loved!**

_**-Rellimmes **_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Two weeks later…._

Spot, of course, came to the funeral. Right after Queens had vacated their spare room in the Brooklyn LH and gone back to their home territory it was held, and all who had known and/or respected River was invited. Spot, even though he was none of these things, was just present to be there for Fury, who hadn't been seen outside of the Queens LH due to preparing for the funeral. Although not very many newsies wore black minus the Queen (who wore it all the time), they all made a conservative effort to dress somewhat presentable. Even Racetrack Higgins had taken off time betting at the races to come, saying that since he'd known River as a kid and was good friends with Fury he felt obligated to come and support her. Spot couldn't help but feel slightly jealous as Race pulled her into a hug, but being good friends with him Spot let it slide. They were just friends and he couldn't hold it against either of them.

The Queen of Queens didn't notice Spot was at the event until she saw him leaving, and hurried over to meet him. "Going already?" she asked casually, smirking as she caught him trying to slide out the back door. "I would've thought you'd like to see me before you left." The King of Brooklyn snorted and turned to face her, face red. "Isa thought youse would be busy with everyone else. Deemed it best not ta intrude." Fury chuckled weakly and stepped beside him. "Well, I'm glad you came anyhow. So, you're going back to Brooklyn then?" Spot nodded, thinking he detected a hint of disappointment in her tone. "Yeah, why?"

Fury shrugged. "I was just about to tell you, one of my newsies is still over in your sick room. The one with the broken ribs? I was wondering if I needed to pick him up tomorrow. The doctor said he couldn't be moved until he got slightly better." Spot nodded, remembering the poor newsgirl lying in Brooklyn. "Isa send her ova as soon as Isa can tomorrow-"

"No, no, I'll pick her up!" Fury said hurriedly. After enduring a surprised look from Spot, she hastily explained, slightly red in the face. "It's just that we recently spotted a couple Harlem newsies on our border recently. My new second Beaver's pretty sure they're harmless, but just to make sure….." She let her voice trail off. Spot nodded in understanding. "Sure, I'll have err waiting when ya arrive." Fury broke out into a grin. "Thanks Conlon, I appreciate it. I might as well come and visit, as I don't have areason to come over into Brooklyn anymore." Spot sighed and nodded, saddened. "Yeah," he murmured, almost to himself. "No reason whatsoever."

$N$

True to her word, Fury did appear in Brooklyn the next day with an escort, whom she introduced as Beaver. Spot spit shook with the beefy boy and turned back to Fury, who smiled warmly at him. "So, Annie?" she asked, inquiring about the newsgirl who was coming home with them. Spot nodded, motioning upstairs. "Yeah, we'll get err' now. Hey Dusty!" he yelled up. "Get Annie, dere here!" A sandy haired boy appeared at the top, nodded once, and ducked into a small room off the stairwell for a brief moment and reappear again with Annie. The newsgirl squealed in delight, happy to see a familiar face, and tried to rush down the stairs towards Fury, but after almost tripping let Dusty gently lead her down. Spot smiled slightly. _An' ta think almost a month ago we was all enemies here, an' now look at us. Friends all around and I'm fallin' for a da leader more dedicated ta err' borough than anyone in da world. _

The very thought made him feel noxious. Fury was indeed loyal to her borough family and her territory, as leaders should be, but more than Spot would ever be. They were the only thing permanent to her, and she wouldn't give it up for anything- _anyone- _in the world. Period, done, end of story. She didn't have the time nor the interest to think of Spot as anything more than a friend.

_That could change if you made a move, _a voice whispered in his ear.

_She's too smart! _Spot objected to his nagger. _She wouldn't even consider it, much less wait to hear me out!_

_You don't know until you try._

_Says who?_

_Says me!_

_Face it, she's the one that got away. I don't have a shot at her!_

_Not according to Ink._

_Well Ink might be wrong! He could have interoperated things into emotions that were never there-_

_And what if he was right? Then you'll have lost her forever, _the nagger reminded him. Spot sighed, subconsciously shaking his head. He couldn't argue with himself. Watching silently as Annie, Beaver and Fury chatted, he waited until they were done before approaching. "Hey, uh, Fury?" Spot asked. "Can Isa talk ta youse for a second?" The Queen looked at him, curious and uncertain. "I guess so," she started to say, but Beaver cut her off. "Fury, we gotta get back soon," her second reminded her. "It's gettin' dark."

Fury rolled her fiery eyes and looked back at Spot expectantly. "Go on without me Beaver. This won't take but a minute, right Spot?" she informed him. Spot shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Won't take long." Beaver nodded to Fury, glancing at Spot suspiciously, but left with Annie anyways. Fury turned to Spot, smiling slightly. "Alright, you got me. What do you need?" The King smiled mischievously and took her hand, leading her up the stairs. "Ta show ya something!" he replied. "C'mon."

The two newsie leaders made their way up the lodging house stairs and Spot led her through an open window, where a fire escape was. "Watch ya head," the newsboy chuckled, helping Fury out onto the balcony and up an iron ladder, towards the roof. "Where are we going?" she laughed, the old fire in her eyes returning. Spot grinned smugly but kept going. "Youse'll see soon enough." He climbed the last ladder and hoisted Fury up on the roof behind him, smirking. He waved his hand across the horizon and the setting sun. "Here it is." Fury gasped in delight and placed her hands over her mouth. "Oh. My. Gosh," she whispered in shock.

The scene around them was magnificent, complete with a full view of the Bridge and the surrounding boroughs, the buildings around them standing tall in the New York landscape. Smoke from the factories rose up in the air and disappeared once the sun hit them, making the horizon look like something out of a picture book. "Ya like it?" Spot asked, a bit timidly (but not too much) once he saw the look on her face. Fury let her hands drop as she grinned at him. "It's great, I- When- _How _in world did you discover all of _this?" _Spot shrugged and sat down on the rooftop, motioning for Fury to sit down beside him. The Queens newsgirl did so, and they stared out across Brooklyn quietly, admiring the scenery.

"So," Spot began. "How ya doin'. With River's death an' all. Isa realized Isa nova asked dat yesterday." Fury looked down, acting like it was no big deal when it really was. "Your fine, really. To tell you the truth I'm kind of relieved. River was going to get himself killed sooner or later, no matter what he did or if the war had happened or not. I'm just glad that it's over and I can actually start to change Queens. Return it to its former glory days, you know?" Spot nodded silently. "Yeah, Isa figured youse would say dat."

"But enough about my plans," Fury suddenly said, changing the topic. "What about you, Spot? It's been a whole month since things in Brooklyn were, well, _normal _. I'll bet you're happy to return to your old lifestyle; selling papers, ruling your borough without opposition, chasing after pretty girls!" She laughed at her own joke, but fell silent once she saw the look on her friend's face. "Hey, that was a joke," she teased him, bumping him in the arm with her elbow playfully. "You're supposed to laugh, or at least tell me it was good or bad!"

Spot looked up at her, breathing out exasperatedly. "Actually, Isa ain't all dat happy right now," he admitted slowly. "I'm gonna loose someone Isa care about pretty soon, an' Isa can't do nothin' about it." Fury's jaw dropped and she bit her lip anxiously. "Did one of your newsies get hurt during the last fight?" she questioned hurriedly. "Are they alright? How long do they have-" "Fury, calm down, everyone in Brooklyn's fine," Spot consoled, trying to keep Fury from panic. The Queen looked at Spot quizzically. "Then who?" she asked, puzzled. Spot turned and looked her directly in the eyes, replying truthfully, "You."

Fury's jaw dropped immediately. "M-Me?" she stuttered, desperately wrapping herself around what Spot had said. Spot, meanwhile, had stood up and left her side on the roof, walking away some 5 feet and turned away. "Yeah, you," he muttered, crossing his arms and looking out over the darkening streets. Fury, finally managing to grasp the full concept of the situation, stood up as well, but stayed where she was regardless. "Why me then?" she whispered, her musical voice barely audible. "I'm not going away forever Spot, you know that. I'll only be one borough over-"

"But youse will be, even den," Spot interrupted, finally pivoting around and looking at her with a strained expression. "Ya have no reason ta return ta Brooklyn now dat da war is ova, ya said it youseself. Youse ain't gonna leave Queens for anything, ya too loyal for dat, more den Isa eva gonna be. I'll probably nova see youse for another year, if more. So yeah, Isa _will _lose ya Fury! Dere ain't no way around it!" The Queen of Queens stared at her friend in shock, never thinking she'd hear him say anything like this in her whole life. "Spot, it doesn't have to be this way," she pleaded. "Alright, maybe I don't have a reason to come around, that doesn't mean I can't-"her words were cut off as Spot took one swift step forward and kissed her square on the mouth.

$N$

At first Fury was in shock, too stunned to say anything. The Queen felt her whole body go rigged, yet slowly and surely she relaxed and began to kiss back. She enjoyed it, for about a minute, but then fear crept into her heart. Fury suddenly tensed up and jerked away, stepping back and looking off in denial. Spot looked at her perplexed, his beautiful blue eyes blinking, confused. "Watt is it?" the King asked, cocking his head. Fury turned completely around and ran her long fingers through her glossy black hair, shaking her head. "This is wrong, Spot," she said, breath staggered and shallow. "I can't do this."

Spot stared at her, more stunned than anything. But slowly Fury saw the blank look disappear off of his face and be replaced with an annoyed expression. "Watt da ya mean, ya _can't?" _he demanded. Fury bit her lip, debating on whether to go through with this argument or let it drop. "That's just it Spot, I can't. There's too much at stake here, can't you see that? What about my own borough, huh? I can't juggle two lives!" "Isa not askin' ya too-"

"But you are!" Fury snapped, cutting him off and turning around to face him, the flames in her eyes leaping around wildly and her faint Italian accent stronger than ever. "First it will just be a day, then a few, and then a week and pretty soon I'll be spending more time here then there and who _knows_ what could happen _then! _I won't give up the only remaining family I have left Spot. It's not an option." Spot's face drained of all color and he fell back on one foot weakly. "An' yet it is when it comes ta me," he muttered angrily, looking away emotionlessly. The Queen's heart sank and she reached to put a firm hand on Spot's shoulder. "Look Spot, I'm not saying we can't still be friends-"

"Just go," he said dully, still refusing to meet her gaze. Fury blinked; "What?"

Spot whirled around and pushed the Queens newsgirl back furiously. "ISA SAID GO!" he yelled. "Get outta here Fury, an' don't come back!" Fury stepped back, at first surprised at his reaction. But nevertheless she retreated and finally walked away, swinging herself down onto the fire escape to leave. She then took a deep breath and said "You know Spot, I really _would _love you." She sighed. "If only I could." Then the Queen of Queens ducked down and disappeared from Spot's sight.

$N$

Spot never actually saw Fury leave, but when he felt the battle-hardened atmosphere that he'd begun to associate with heart leave the roof he knew she was gone for good. The King cursed himself for being so stubborn and for not letting her stay, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Fury was gone now, back to her own territory with her own family. Without him. Oh, Spot was so ashamed of himself! Perhaps a walk would clear his head. I mean, if it worked for his subjects, why not their leader?

Climbing down the fire escape, Spot made his way towards the front door, hoping that no one saw him. But even this wish wasn't granted; Ink, who had been chatting with Bowler by the stairwell, spotted the King and called out to him. "Hey Spot, youse ok? We saw Fury come around her a minute ago all mad an'-""Isa goin' for a walk!" Spot announced, cutting his second off shortly. "Isa be back soon, don't wait up!" And with that he slammed the door in Ink's face.

At first Spot wanted to go up the street, but after realizing that Queens was in that direction Spot immediately decided that the Brooklyn Bridge was a much better option. He turned down the lane and trudged down towards it, feeling even worse than he had before. After some time of pondering the recent events, Spot found himself somewhere in the middle of the Bridge, where workmen had been replacing some of the steel bars, leaving a large gaping hole in the railing. Spot stopped to inspect it, curious. How come none of his birds had told him about Bridge repairs? Or maybe they had, but with the war and his feeling for Fury in his life in the past month he had forgotten about it. Whatever the case, it was most odd-

"Well boys, look watt we got here!" a rough and cruel voice rang out from behind the King of Brooklyn. "An all alone Spot Conlon-with no biords or even a Fury around ta save him. Dis _is _an unexpected surprise!" Spot whirled around to find 7 Harlem newsboys circled around him, weapons drawn and aimed at Spot. From behind all of them stepped up a burly brown haired boy with an ugly red scar trailing down his neck and a gun pointed at his head, smirking evilly. "But a welcome one."

Spot clenched his fists and pulled out his slingshot, ready to fire. "Spike."

$N$

**A little short for my taste, but with school starting tomorrow I wanted to get one last chapter in.** **I PROMISE I will update as fast as possible, please be patient. BTW, my challenge still stands on naming the song Fury sings in previous chapters, so if SOMEONE could take me up on that I'd greatly appreciate it! **

**Verreax- thanks for the review and apologies for not replying sooner. I hope you continue to like this story (or book by the looks of things)!**

**Newsiesluva- I'm glad I'm so predictable when it comes to Anthony Higgins, he IS one of my favorite characters (besides Spot and Sarah). Again, sorry for not getting back to you immediately, and I continue to await your awesome reviews!**

**So, with that out of the way… review?**

_**Rellimmes **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Shout out to newsiesluva for correctly answering my lyric challenge! Thank you!**_

**Chapter 7**

Feeling slightly concerned, Spot ignored the fact that he was outnumbered and looked at Spike coldly. "So dis is how ya life ends Spike?" he mocked, aiming his slingshot straight at his newfound enemy. "With me throwin' ya sorry excuse for a newsie off dis Bridge?"

Spike laughed harshly, revolver still in hand, and looked up at the dark, stormy sky that had aroused in the short period after sundown. "Isa don't think youse in da position ta be talkin' about life an' death Conlon," he chuckled mirthlessly. "Especially when _Isa _da one who's got ya cornered." He took a step towards Spot, ready to fire. "Ya got any last words?" Spot glared at the former Queens second with untold rage. "It was youse dis whole time," he growled. "Youse was against us from da beginning. Watt, did Giant send ya ta Queens just ta befriend Fury all dose years ago?"

The newsies spat at the ground. "Nah, back den Isa was still in good with Queens. River was leader, Fury was still second an' Isa was err' friend. When River disappeared Fury sent me ta follow im', an' dat's where Isa met Giant. Best thing dat coulda eva happened ta me. He said dat Isa could be part 'o' something bigger; da downfall 'o' Brooklyn!" He laughed maniacally. "All Isa had ta do as second 'o' Queens was keep an' eye on dere movements an' report back ta Harlem from time ta time, makin' sure Fury turned a blind eye ta Brooklyn's troubles. But when youse soaked Giant's second, who was River in disguise, me job got bigger. I was ta keep da Queen away from youse an' ya little war, thinkin' dat youse would nova turn ta ya worst enemy for help, but den youse come strutting in ta my territory like ya own da place an' win err' ova in spite 'o' me efforts ta dissuade Fury. Dang, she was dead set on helpin' youse all outta ya little hole, sayin' junk about how Queens needed ta become beta, more friendly ta others. Isa just had ta wait it all out."

He breathed, starting up again. "Isa was still gonna let youse live, for den, Conlon. But aft' youse started ta get closer ta Fury things got risky, an' before Isa knew I'm on da streets all because _youse _convinced err' ta throw me out! An' ya know watt's worse? Isa get ova ta Giant's place, ta da people Isa really loyal ta, an' he discards me like trash! Says Isa wasn't good for nothin' else an' ta get outta his sight! Well I'm done bein' a pawn Conlon, Isa done! I took ova Harlem, gonna defeat Brooklyn, an' den go fight Queens. It's time Isa took me place as leader 'o' dis town, startin' right here with youse." The new leader of Harlem cocked his pistol and aimed-

"SPIKE, PUT THE GUN DOWN!" a hard, demanding voice rang out from 10 feet away. Spike and Spot both snapped their heads up to see Fury, the entire Queens borough and all of Manhattan encompassing the group, ready to take on Spike's team. Spot's jaw dropped at the sight of Jack Kelly and his band of newsies standing there, recalling their decision to stay out of the war. But as Jack caught Spot's eye and winked, the King suddenly knew; Manhattan and Queens were allies- Jack had had Spot's back all along.

"When'd youse decide ta join da party, Kelly?" Spot called out, half joking. Jack just shrugged and nodded to Racetrack, who was standing right in between Fury and himself. "Race's idea actually. Said dat youse would need da help aft' Spike disappeared. We've been soakin' half of Harlem's traitors for nearly two weeks since dey attacked ya LH back in Brooklyn. Youse shoulda had another attack comin' aft' da 'final' one if it weren't for us!" Spot turned to Fury, who had her knife out and poised to strike at a moment's notice. "An' youse knew about all dis? 'Hattan's involvement, dem holdin' back da rest 'o' Harlem, da whole nine yards?"

Fury shrugged, the flames in her eyes swirling around like a bonfire. She was obviously still mad at him. "Leader's have secrets Conlon," she told him harshly. "You don't even know half of my closet skeletons." Spot sighed, shaking his head. Now he'd never would.

Meanwhile Spike was scared. Not the nervous kind, not the jittery kind, downright plain old scared. His plans were shattered before they'd even began. "No!" he kept shouting into the howling wind of the storm. "No, dis ain't possible- everything was perfect- Isa- I'll fight all 'o' ya!" Fury looked at her old second with compassionate understanding. "Spike, it doesn't have to be like this," she said in a warning tone, trying to maintain control of an otherwise chaotic situation. "You can walk away now, Spike. No one's been hurt yet, and if you stop this no one will. Just put down the gun and walk away. We won't hold it against you, you can even get out of here a free man. Go back to Harlem, govern your territory, we can't stop you. We're not your enemies Spike."

"We're not?" Racetrack asked his best friend. Fury kept her eyes on Spike and kicked Race in the shin. "That's right Race, we're _not_," she repeated dangerously, voicing the phrase at the Italian more than anyone else. "Just walk away and we can all go home."

"No!" Spike shouted at her, causing everyone in the group, even the Harlemers, to shift uncertainly. "Isa not goin' down without a fight!" With that he lunged at Spot, desperately trying to rip the King's throat out. Unfortunately, being a newsie in Brooklyn, Spot knew how to fight as well, and the evenly matched newsboys scuffled around violently while everyone else watched. "Do something!" Jack desperately yelled at Fury, who was staring at the brawl with a terrified expression. "I can't!" she retorted, straining to make herself heard over the winds that were shaking the Bridge to its very foundations. "I might kill Spot!"

As the battle between Spike and Spot raged on the Harlem leader found himself having the upper hand, and he roughly pushed Spot towards the hole in the railing while the King clutched the edge of it for dear life. "Beta say ya good-byes Conlon!" he snarled triumphantly. "Dey'll be ya last before ya die!"

Spot drew in a breath and bit his lip, looking directly at Fury and all of her beauty and intelligence the entire time. She stared back at him, and realization dawned upon her face. A look of panic spread across her features as Spot said "If Isa gonna die tonight, I'll take _you _with me." And then, grasping Spike's arms tightly, he let go of the railing, dragging the Harlem leader down into the choppy waters below them.

$N$

Fury screamed and rushed forward but was powerless to stop Spot from falling into the river. She watched hopelessly as he disappeared into the choppy waves beneath her, wanting desperately to dive in after him but knowing full well she couldn't. The Queen felt her legs give way beneath her and let Race catch her before she fell in as well, pulling her back from the edge of the gap and setting her down on the ground. Sitting next to his friend, Race let her cry on his shoulder as she let out all the remorse she felt. "I shouldn't have left!" she sobbed dryly into his shirt. "I shouldn't have said anything, I could've saved him Race! Now it's too late."

Race cocked his head, understanding. "Fury, youse couldn't have done nothin' ta change his mind anyways," he consoled. "He did it ta protect us, ta protect _you_ especially. He loved youse Trinity; enough said." Fury smiled weakly at her friend's affectionate use of her name and stood up to start off down the road. "Hey, where ya goin'?" Race called out to the Queen, still on the ground. Fury didn't look back at Race, just stopped and replied "To find Spot. He deserves a proper burial, not a watery grave," before continuing. The Italian gambler scrambled to his feet, shaking his head. "Fury, da current in da river's too strong!" he protested. "His body's gonna be out ta sea before long, maybe even now!" But the Queen of Queen was already too far away to hear him.

Striding down to the river's edge, Fury stepped down on the rocky man-made banks and began to scan the area for Spot's remains. She knew there was little or no possibility of finding him; the storm would've pushed him far beyond the borders of New York. It was almost impossible. _Impossible. _That was what echoed in Fury's mind the entire time as she searched the coastline. It was a slim chance (very miniscule, but there) that Spot would turn up. _He has to, _the newsgirl thought frantically. _There's no other way. _

But her wills and faint imaginings were dashed when she finally made it to the far end of the banks, where the edges dropped off and there was just a dark river from then on. Fury knew it was hopeless and dropped down in the midst of the rocks, too exhausted to carry on. There was just a little stretch of coastline left, perhaps 50 feet, but the Queen didn't bother to check it out. She would be disappointed, just like she had been the last mile and a half of searching. Fury lay back on the jagged boulders surrounding her, not caring if their sharp edges prodded uncomfortably into her skin or not, letting silent tears fall down the sides of her face. This was the first time she'd cried in many years, not the dry sobs that had overcome her at her brother's death or when she had been on the Brooklyn Bridge with Anthony (those were, as Jack liked to call them, leader tears), but actually crying. _I should've taken the chance, _she mourned to herself. _I should've. It would have saved him. _

Fury had no idea how long she lay there, but after her eyes ran dry and the dangerous winds of the storm (which had turned the sky from the lovely colors they had been hours ago to an ugly grayish-green) started to really pick up she knew she had to move on. The others back at the Bridge would be taking shelter in Manhattan's lodging house until morning, knowing that this particular gale would most certainly last several days, if not weeks. They would have to leave the safety of the LH after a few hours, of course, but Jack wouldn't even consider letting her borough go back soaked to the bone. She would have to go back eventually.

Painfully hoisting herself to her feet, Fury stumbled her way through the rocks of the banks, straining to see the obstacles in front of her. It was only when she made it to the very end of the lone did the leader of Queens realize she'd gone to wrong way. _Great, _she spat. _Now I'll have even further to go before I get back home. _She randomly kicked the rock in front of her and cursed out loud, but froze once she felt the impact she'd made in it. Curious more than anything, Fury knelt down beside the peculiar object, squinting her fiery eyes in the darkness to make out the abnormally soft thing she'd just kicked. As she adjusted to the dimness and was beginning to see what it was she suddenly realized what she was going and screamed. There he was, red suspenders and all, Spot Conlon himself, lying in a heap on the river bank beside. He'd obviously survived the fall (though given the great height Fury could hardly believe) and dragged himself ashore before collapsing. And now he was dead.

Fury let out a pain- stricken cry and bent down over Spot's body, biting her lip to keep tears from falling freely. This moment was critical; she couldn't cry, not now. Alone maybe, but not here. This was when she needed to be strongest the most.

"I'm sorry Spot," the Queen of Queens muttered into the midnight air, so low that only she herself could hear. "I should've done a lot of things when I knew you, I know. Shouldn't have stood back and watched from afar, should've listened to Chip when she said 'make your move', should've never left you up there on the LH rooftop tonight. Probably would've saved your life. I thought I was protecting us both by not getting involved with you during the war and even after, but I guess all I was really doing was pushing you away in hopes I wouldn't get hurt. It was wrong, and I apologize." Running out of words, Fury decided to sum up everything in 5 short words.

"I love you, Spot Conlon," she whispered quietly, pressing her lips up against the King's forehead. "I'll never forget you." Fury then drew back and stared down at Spot's lifeless form, too heavy-hearted to say anything more. She slowly started to wish that this was all one big dream, that she would wake up in one swift moment and realize that none of it was real. And she was almost sure of it when she thought she saw Spot's eyelids begin to flutter. Fury clenched her fists together, digging her nails into her skin in hopes that she would awake from the month-long nightmare, but after drawing blood from her palms she realized it was actually happening. "No, no," Fury murmured to herself over and over, keeping her eyes tightly shut. "This isn't real. It's an illusion, nothing more. I'm seeing things, that's it, I'm just seeing things. Spot's not moving, it's just the grief talking-"

"So me talkin' ta youse now am an illusion too? Cause if it is dis is one illusion Isa don't wanna end in a hurry."

Against her will Fury's eyes snapped open to see a weak but alive Spot lying before her, trying his best to sit up and painfully smirking. She cried out in relief and leaned over, kissing him on the lips briefly before gathering the Brooklynite up in an embrace. "You jerk!" Fury scolded lightly, burying her face in Spot's shirt. "Don't do that to me again! Ever! I was so worried, do you know how much pain you've caused me in the past few hours?" She leaned back and kissed him again. "Oh, I'm just so happy you're safe!"

Spot chuckled weakly and returned the kiss. "Isa thought a certain girl said dat lovin' me wasn't an option," he reminded her playfully. Fury pursed her lips and replied simply "Well that that girl obviously didn't know what she had until it was gone." Spot smiled and pulled her into another hug. "Isa love youse, ya know dat?" he whispered in her ear quietly. Fury smiled back gratefully, looking deep into Spot's blue eyes. "I know. Just remember that the next time you decide to jump off a bridge." Spot turned red and squeezed her tighter than ever. "Nova again," he told her. "It took too much outta me da first time." Fury cocked her head slightly, sighing. "Promise?"

"Promise."

$N$

Well then, that concludes our story. No, that is not the end, nor will it ever be, but it is where we stop for now. For life never really, truly ends, just moves on. And that's enough for _anyone_, whether newsie or not, don't you agree?

And to all a goodnight, I bid you _adieu!_

$N$

**Ok then, there you have it! This is my longest 'book' yet (written in such a short time too) and I think I'm going to rest for at least a weekend, but if you really like my stories I will write more. **

**Newsiesluva- ****Thank you for guessing on the song script, and you were right! I love this particular one and never really placed a talented singer in a story before, so I find it so interesting that another person in this world likes the same music I do! Please continue to look out for my stories, I'd really appreciate it!**

**Ealasaid Una- thanks for the review, I love it! Again, one of my most dedicated readers/reviewers! You've been with me sine ch. 1, and I appreciate it!**


End file.
